Graduating to dry fly fishing

krayfish

krayfish

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May 26, 2011
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I took the nephew out last Sunday morning. I thought a trico hatch would be a sight for him to see. Up to this point, we've kept 95% of the fishing sub-surface with an indi. I started him out with a pair of trico spinners and a split shot. I thought he'd clean up on sunken spinners. I was wrong. He took a few rock bass and smallmouths. After tying / re-tying his nymph rig 3-4 times, I asked if he'd be interested in trying to catch them on dries.
"Sure" was his response. I put on a CDC caddis emerger so it was easy for him to see and then dangled a trico off the back of it. I walked back over to the fish I was after. When I turned to see if he was doing OK, I was amazed. He's tossing 35-40' casts with a nice loop. He was throwing it too far and getting a 2' drift before it started dragging. I jumped back down, whe shortened things up and targeted specific fish rather than blind casting. A soon as he did that, fish on! I think he took 5-6 on top. I don't impress easily but he impresed me. Ed and Fox, you need him to help with the newbie jam next spring, let me know. LMAO
 

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Heck yeah! Wish I would have known about that emerger trick at the jam. Im only 33 but I felt 70 trying to see that little sz22 on the water.
 
Good stuff.
I usually start newbies with nymphs and streamers too....but under the right conditions dry fly fishing is often easier to catch fish and I think the magic of dry fly fishing often makes FFing more appealing and different from conventional gear for the newbie.
Anyway - well done.
 
I asked him on the way home and he told me fishing on top was now his favorite way to fly fish. Next step is knot tying. He's not too handy at it and I'm fixing his stuff so often, I only get a few casts in.

How about those waders? Lol.
 
They will almost always take a sunken spinner over the dryfly, but you only have to get the spinner under the film, with no weight on the line. try a royal wulff tied in a # 24, trust me they work, but instead of red in the center tie it with cream.
 
I forgot to mention....#20 trico on 5x. So much for the theory of needing #26 tricos on 9x.
 
You need to help him graduate to giant streamer fishing ;-) Good stuff. Love reports about helping the next generation along!!!
 
That is excellent, took me a while to learn to fish dries effectivly. Nice pics too, I like the way you were able to catch the loop in the second pic.
 
Yeah giant streamers! You can get them at Bass Pro!
 
Andy,

Great job!!!!! By the way, I have a pair of those waders.
 
Your nephew is a smart kid! Nice going.

I've started out quite a few newbies with drys - usually crowe beetles. And they do pretty well. You can plop these things down noisily and off target - and the fish still turn and come after them.
I think it's a great way to break someone in to the sport
 
Agreed. I taught two people this summer all on dries. Started on Pine during some kind of caddis hatch, and got one of the kids his first trout on the fly. His dad took longer to catch on (older folk take longer to learn I guess!), and then we've fished a few warm water lakes since then, with plenty of top water action. The excitement of a fish coming up to take that fly really gets people hooked on the sport!
 
This youngster is well on his way to becoming a great fly fisher. He's got a great teacher, and is a pretty good student as well. Congrats to both of you!
 
The_Sasquatch wrote:
Yeah giant streamers! You can get them at Bass Pro!

It's on now Squatch...we're gonna have to have an internet tough guy contest ;-)

Why would anyone shop at BassPro? :p
 
PatrickC wrote:
You need to help him graduate to giant streamer fishing ;-) Good stuff. Love reports about helping the next generation along!!!

Say wahhhhh?!?!?! You don't fish #26 dry flies? ;-)
 
wgmiller wrote:
PatrickC wrote:
You need to help him graduate to giant streamer fishing ;-) Good stuff. Love reports about helping the next generation along!!!

Say wahhhhh?!?!?! You don't fish #26 dry flies? ;-)

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS COMPLETELY TONGUE & CHEEK

Only when fishing with girls.... ;-)

(Geo & T Robinson are the only people I have fished dries in PA with)
 
Nice, Kray. I only wish someone had started me early like that. Congrats to both of you.
 
Oh Lord I have a feeling this thread is about to get silly stupid!
 
Chaz,
In 30+ yrs of ff-ing, never owned or fish a royal wulff. Since I struggle to tie a #2 circus peanut onto 2x, I doubt I'll be tying any flies that small. #20-22 is as small as I will ever go. If they won't take it, I move on to a different fish.

Sas,
The boys have fully stocked streamer boxes ranging from #10 buggers up to #2 sex dungeons. They've tried them but haven't scored yet.

Bill,
Crowe beetles? I'd have to put the kid in a time machine and take him back to 1986 since that the last time I owned a crowe beetle. LMAO. Foam is easier to work with , more durable and floats better.

Dave,
I'm grooming the kid to give you and alby a run for your money. He's aware that you 2 are notorious for catching when others can't and that you always seem to have the big fish of the day. His fighting skills have improved. He'll be man handling 20" fishin no time.
 
Good work Kray...gotta pass the skills on now that you're starting to go...totally kidding...well maybe old enough to "go" on yourself ;)

I've been working teaching the GF...started out on a inda rig as well. First day she hooked a couple in the kiddie pool but none to net. The second time out she got into fish on the indy right out of the gate...we came to a pool with risers all over and she closed the day out with a couple on dries...I was psyched!

 
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